night. We have often found a peculiar blessing at these seasons. There is generally a deep awe upon the con gregation, perhaps in some measure owing to the silence of the night, par ticularly in singing the hymn with which we commonly conclude: “Hearken to the solemn voice, The awful midnight cry! Waiting souls, rejoice, rejoice, And feel the Bridegroom nigh.” It is evident that John Wesley felt that God was pleased with such ob- servances and that He never failed to bless them. In January 1753 he re corded this observation: “We had our first Watch-night at Snowsfield. Scarce any went away till between twelve and one. How is it that never anyone, in England or Ireland, has been hurt for all these years in going to all parts at the dead of night? Are not the hairs of our head all numbered?” Watch-night services were to Wes ley a foretaste of heaven. In January 1762 he said: “We concluded the year, as usual, with a solemn Watch-night. Oh, may we conclude our lives in the same manner, blessing and praising God!” In 1785 he wrote: “We had a sol emn Watch-night, and ushered in the new year with the voice of praise and thanksgiving.” Again in 1782 he associated Watch- night with the changing of the year as he said, “We concluded the year with a solemn Watch-night.” It seems that it was not uncommon for a conference of the ministers to close with a Watch-night service. In August 1788 John Wesley recorded these wo'rds in his Journal: “ Our Conference ended, as it began, in great peace. We kept this day as a fast, meeting at five, nine, and one, for prayer; and concluding the day with a solemn Watch-night. The three following days I retired, revised my papers, and finished all the work I had to do in London.” John Wesley carried a great respon sibility. He was a very busy man but evidently he never felt that the Methodists did not have time to lay aside their other activities and keep a Watch-night. May New Year’s Eve find many thousands of Christian peo ple of all denominations on their knees, like the early Methodists, praying out the old year and praying in the new, so that 1964 will find in all of us the same holy fire that burned in the hearts of John Wesley and his co-workers. The Wesleyan revival changed all of England. May God grant His Church a new revival that will change all of America and be felt around the world. THE KING'S BUSINESS
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How
"Watchnight”Began
enced “ saving faith” while listening to a reading of Martin Luther’s Preface to the Epistle to the Romans. As a result of that spiritual awakening in Wesley’s life, the Methodist move ment began. In view of these facts it is interest ing to read what Wesley wrote about those early prayer meetings. In April 1742 he made the following entry in his Journal: “We had the first Watch-night in London. We commonly choose for this solemn service the Friday night nearest the full moon, either before or after, that those of the congregation who live at a distance may have light to their several homes. The serv ice begins at half an hour past eight, and continues till a little after mid
W hen and where the custom of observing New Year’s Eve with Watch-night services began we do not know. We are told that Wesley, Whitefield, and about seventy of their brethren met in 1739 for special seasons of prayer for revival. Their united prayer shook the world. In those early days of Methodism, however, the custom was not confined to one night a year. In studying John Wesley’s Journal one finds many ref erences to Watch-night services. They played a prominent part in early Methodism. The experience of John Wesley and his followers is especially interesting. It was at a meeting in Aldersgate Street, London, in 1738 that Wesley, an Anglican minister, first experi- 16
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